In the run-up to the Meghalaya state assembly elections in 2022 the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was promoted with a vengeance, not by TMC members but by the team of Prashant Kishor the man known for crafting out successful political strategies that help political parties win elections. His organisation I-PAC played a key role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The campaign designed by Prashant Kishor and his team, included strategies like the 3D rallies and “Chai Pe Charcha,” which became game-changers for Modi to win the 2014 election. Interestingly, Prashant Kishor became the brand name behind every successful election. He was not loyal to any single political party. Like an ad-man he crafted a strategy for election campaigns for anyone who engaged him and paid money. It was a business deal; nothing more, nothing less. Prashant Kishor has been associated with several high-profile election campaigns across India which include the 2014 campaign for the BJP and Modi in particular; Nitish Kumar – Janata Dal (United) for the 2015 Bihar Elections and later the Congress. Campaigns designed by Prashant Kishor were instrumental in the success of the Mahagathbandhan idea where the Janata Dal aligned with several other parties. In the 2017 elections in Punjab, Kishor’s strategic support helped the Congress led by Amarinder Singh to win the Assembly elections. In 2021 Kishor helped Mamata Banerjee and the TMC win the West Bengal elections. Prashant Kishor is a professional and his campaign is data driven, innovative and focussed on building an emotional connect with voters.
Prashant Kishor used the organisation he built – Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) – a political consultancy firm, where he enrolled a team of young professionals who would travel around, meet people, befriend them and encourage them to vote for the party that I-PAC supported. Somehow in Meghalaya, Kishor’s strategy failed to garner much traction. The TMC managed to win only 5 seats and even those seats were won not because of the Party but because of the personal connection that voters had with the candidates. And this has been Meghalaya’s voting pattern. Political parties play only a limited role; it is the personality of the candidate and his/her personal relations with the voters that help win votes.
One TMC candidate who lost the 2023 election was Zenith Sangma, the brother of Dr Mukul Sangma. Mukul’s wife Dikanchi D Shira also lost the 2023 election. From the Khasi-Jaintia region only Charles Pyngrope could win from the TMC ticket. Since then no TMC leader of consequence has visited Meghalaya to ignite interest in the Party. It was left to die a natural death. Now Zenith Sangma has resigned from the TMC and is set to join the Party he deserted in 2022 – the Indian National Congress. Other TMC MLAs are also looking for a bail-out from the TMC knowing it has not been able to make inroads in Meghalaya and that it has always been seen as a Party from Bengal which is neither a national party nor a regional one and it did not resonate with the voters. There is rejoicing in the Meghalaya Congress over the return of the prodigal. It’s a matter of time before others also return. The TMC has run its course in Meghalaya.
